US20060226981A1 - Method and system for setup of, and communication with, an RFID middleware server from an enterprise resource planning system server - Google Patents
Method and system for setup of, and communication with, an RFID middleware server from an enterprise resource planning system server Download PDFInfo
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- US20060226981A1 US20060226981A1 US11/101,063 US10106305A US2006226981A1 US 20060226981 A1 US20060226981 A1 US 20060226981A1 US 10106305 A US10106305 A US 10106305A US 2006226981 A1 US2006226981 A1 US 2006226981A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
Definitions
- the present invention relates to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
- ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
- the present invention relates to methods and systems for interfacing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) middleware servers with ERP system servers.
- RFID Radio Frequency Identification
- ERP Enterprise resource planning
- Axapta provides functionality to support many needs of a business, for example including: manufacturing; distribution, supply chain management, project management, financial management, human resource management, business analysis, enterprise portal, commerce gateway, etc.
- RFID tags are being used to identify products.
- An RFID tag is energized when it is placed in the proximity of an RFID tag reader. This causes circuitry within the RFID tag to transmit digital data which is received by the tag reader and stored in memory. The data can be used to identify the goods associated with the RFID tag.
- RFID tags can be placed on the individual goods themselves, and/or they can be placed on pallets or containers used to ship the goods. Ideally, RFID tags can be used to assist in automating the inventory and supply chain processes.
- RFID tags are a growing area in tracking technology. Unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read through thick packaging and are unaffected by moisture and heat making them highly effective in manufacturing and distribution environments. RFID tags enable automatic identification with no physical contact. Depending on the specific type of RFID tag employed, the read range extends from a few inches to hundreds of feet.
- RFID is a means of identifying an object using a radio frequency transmission, typically 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz or 800-900 MHz.
- RFID has been extensively used in applications such as toll collection, access control, ticketing, and car immobilization devices (also called immobilizers).
- immobilizers also called immobilizers.
- the technology has received increased attention due to a confluence of actions including technology advancement, heightened security concerns, supply chain automation, and a continuing emphasis on cost control within industrial systems.
- RFID tags can be read or written at distances up to several feet, while in motion, in any orientation, regardless of dirt or smudges, and through intervening objects. Perhaps most significant is the fact that many RFID tags can be read at once automatically, while barcodes have to be scanned manually, one by one.
- RFID tags will only communicate when it is in range of a read/write device (a transceiver, a transmitter/receiver, or a reader) and can be accessed at anytime.
- RFID tags are durable and have a long life span, no battery requirement with most tag types, and large data memory capacity. RFID tags are available in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
- RFID tags are developed using a frequency according to the needs of the system including read range and the environment in which the tag will be read.
- Tags are either active or passive. Active RFID tags are powered by an internal battery and are typically read/write devices. Active RFID tags are more expensive and larger than passive RFID tags. However, they are also more powerful and have a greater read range. Passive RFID tags are powered by the field generated by the reader. Passive tags are typically much lighter than active tags, less expensive, and offer a virtually unlimited operational lifetime. However they have shorter read ranges and require a higher-powered reader than active tags.
- An RFID reader usually connected to a personal computer, serves the same purpose as a barcode scanner. It can also be battery-powered to allow mobile transactions with RFID tags.
- the RFID reader handles the communication between the information system and the RFID tag.
- An RFID antenna connected to the RFID reader can be of various sizes and structures, depending on the communication distance required for a given system's performance. The antenna activates the RFID tag and transfers data by emitting wireless pulses.
- RFID tags can be used to collect additional data related to a supply chain process
- integrating RFID tag readers into existing ERP systems can be difficult.
- Using RFID tags to enhance the efficiency of business processes and integrate the information collected from the tags directly into the supply chain and inventory processes of business software requires a middleware process such as an RFID server to handle the collection and transmission of information to the business software.
- RFID middleware servers are typically not setup to function with specific business processes of particular ERP systems, initialization and setup would be required.
- RFID middleware servers frequently do not have the user interfaces required to perform such setup. Further, since the middleware server and the ERP system software can be programmed using different programming languages, communication between the two can be problematic.
- RFID tags to enhance the efficiency of business processes and integrate the information collected from the tags directly into the supply chain and inventory processes of business software requires a middleware process such as an RFID server to handle the collection and transmission of information to the business software of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
- the middleware process and RFID server has to be initialized and set-up.
- the present invention facilitates this set-up from the business software of the ERP.
- the invention provides processes, forms, schemas, etc. to provide for the initialization and setup of the middleware process.
- a method of configuring a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) middleware server includes calling a server form, using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, from an ERP server.
- the method also includes identifying at least one RFID middleware server using the server form, and configuring one or more processes, using the server form, to run on the at least one identified RFID server.
- the one or more configured processes are transmitted from the ERP server to the RFID middleware server in order to configure the RFID middleware server.
- ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one computing environment in which the present invention may be practiced.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an ERP system server and an RFID middleware server where the present invention can be implemented.
- FIGS. 3-1 and 3 - 2 are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a server form used to set-up an RFID server from an ERP server.
- FIGS. 4-1 through 4 - 3 are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a devices form used to set-up devices, coupled to the RFID server, from the ERP server.
- FIGS. 5-1 through 5 - 4 are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a processes form used to set-up processes, on the RFID server, from the ERP server.
- FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating COM object communication between the ERP system server and the RFID servers.
- FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of three processes associated with retrieved data from an RFID tag.
- Radio frequency identification is a technology which can aid manufacturers and distributors to gain improved visibility into their supply chain, by increasing the number of data capture points in their supply chain.
- the aim is to put RFID tags on pallets, cases or items so they can be uniquely identified and tracked in the supply chain.
- the tracking can be done by collecting the data about when a unique pallet/case/item was registered at a specific location.
- RFID tags to enhance the efficiency of business processes and integrate the information collected from the tags directly into the supply chain and inventory processes of business software requires a middleware process such as on an RFID middleware server to handle the collection and transmission of information to the business software on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system server, such as an Axapta® server.
- ERP enterprise resource planning
- the middleware processes on the RFID middleware server would have to be initialized and setup from the business software of the ERP system.
- the invention provides processes, forms, schemas, etc. to provide for the initialization and setup of the middleware process on the RFID middleware server, as well as communication between the ERP server and the RFID middleware server.
- FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment 100 on which the invention may be implemented.
- the computing system environment 100 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment 100 .
- the invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations.
- Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, telephony systems, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
- the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer.
- program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
- the invention is designed to be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.
- program modules are located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
- such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.
- ISA Industry Standard Architecture
- MCA Micro Channel Architecture
- EISA Enhanced ISA
- VESA Video Electronics Standards Association
- PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect
- Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.
- Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media.
- Computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media.
- Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.
- Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computer 110 .
- Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media.
- modulated data signal means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.
- communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
- the system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131 and random access memory (RAM) 132 .
- ROM read only memory
- RAM random access memory
- BIOS basic input/output system
- RAM 132 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 120 .
- FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134 , application programs 135 , other program modules 136 , and program data 137 .
- the computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 141 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152 , and an optical disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.
- removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like.
- the hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to the system bus 121 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 140
- magnetic disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to the system bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 150 .
- hard disk drive 141 is illustrated as storing operating system 144 , application programs 145 , other program modules 146 , and program data 147 . Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 134 , application programs 135 , other program modules 136 , and program data 137 . Operating system 144 , application programs 145 , other program modules 146 , and program data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies.
- a user may enter commands and information into the computer 110 through input devices such as a keyboard 162 , a microphone 163 , and a pointing device 161 , such as a mouse, trackball or touch pad.
- Other input devices may include a joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like.
- These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 120 through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB).
- a monitor 191 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 121 via an interface, such as a video interface 190 .
- computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 197 and printer 196 , which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 195 .
- the computer 110 is operated in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 180 .
- the remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a hand-held device, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 110 .
- the logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN) 173 , but may also include other networks.
- LAN local area network
- WAN wide area network
- Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.
- the computer 110 When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 is connected to the LAN 171 through a network interface or adapter 170 .
- the computer 110 When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110 typically includes a modem 172 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN 173 , such as the Internet.
- the modem 172 which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user input interface 160 , or other appropriate mechanism.
- program modules depicted relative to the computer 110 may be stored in the remote memory storage device.
- FIG. 1 illustrates remote application programs 185 as residing on remote computer 180 . It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.
- ERP system server 200 represents one or more servers or computing systems on which ERP system modules (business processes) 205 are run to implement ERP functions for a company or user.
- An RFID middleware server 210 (hereafter RFID server 210 ) couples ERP system server 200 to one or more RFID devices 215 .
- RFID devices 215 can be, for example, RFID readers which read RFID tags and/or RFID writers which write RFID tags.
- RFID server 210 interfaces with RFID devices 215 to control processes 220 , such as read and write processes.
- methods of setting up RFID server 210 , devices 215 and processes 220 are provided.
- RFID server 210 and related devices 215 and processes 220 for use with a particular ERP system can present a number of difficulties. For instance, it would be common for RFID server 220 to not be programmed with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) configured for set-up of particular processes for the ERP system, rendering set-up more difficult.
- GUIs graphical user interfaces
- the present invention provides processes, forms, schemas, etc. to provide for the initialization and setup of the middleware process. These are illustrated generically in FIG. 2 at 225 .
- a form in this context is a window, a dialog, a page, or another UI element for viewing and/or entering data.
- forms include form logic which maps, manipulates or otherwise acts upon or in response to data entered into the form. Further details of these processes, forms, etc. for set-up of RFID server 210 , RFID processes 220 and/or devices 215 are provided in the following description.
- RFID server 210 is set-up within the ERP system (i.e., on ERP server 200 ) using a server form 350 (shown in FIGS. 3-1 and 3 - 2 ) which can be called by an administrator or other authorized user of the ERP system.
- FIGS. 3-1 and 3 - 2 respectively illustrate “Overview” tab 355 and “General” tab 360 of server form 350 .
- Server form 350 allows the user to identify one or more servers (such as RFID server 210 ), giving it an ID 365 , a name 370 , a host (machine) 375 , and a domain name 380 indicative of where it is located.
- Server form 350 also includes “Devices” GUI control element or button 390 and “Process” GUI control element or button 395 which, when clicked upon by the user, call up device and process forms as described further below.
- devices form 400 When the server 210 is set-up, the devices already known (through auto recovery) to the server are shown in a devices form 400 shown in FIGS. 4-1 , 4 - 2 and 4 - 3 .
- devices form 400 can be viewed from server form 350 using devices button 390 .
- Devices form 400 allows viewing of “Overview” tab 405 , “General” tab 410 and “Communication” tab 415 .
- Devices not found through “Auto recovery” can be manually created, as new entries in the device form 400 .
- the properties of the individual devices can then be set using “Properties” button 420 on devices form 400 .
- the properties can be copied from one device to another device using the “Copy properties” button 422 shown in FIG. 4-1 .
- the “Wizard” button 424 can be used to guide the user through the manual creation process, including a series of steps which, in a logical way, makes sure that the user enters all needed information for creating the device. In order to ensure chronological reads, it is possible to exclude the individual device or the whole server.
- process form 500 (shown in FIGS. 5-1 through 5 - 4 ) can be called using button 395 on server form 350 .
- FIGS. 5-1 through 5 - 4 shown “Overview” tab 505 , “General” tab 510 , “Devices” tab 515 , and “Policies” tab 520 , respectively.
- the RFID server 210 is queried by the ERP server 200 , then the RFID server will return the processes defined back to ERP server 200 .
- the returned data is stored in tables in the ERP system (for example, Axapta tables).
- the tables are deleted or erased again when the form 500 is closed. This is done to ensure no data conflicts with the RFID server arise.
- the devices 215 are assigned to the process using tab 515 of form 500 .
- policies for the process are selected. On the left side the selected policies 525 are shown. On the right side, all available policies 530 defined on the RFID server are displayed. GUI control buttons 535 are used to move available policies 530 to selected policies 525 (i.e., to select policies), and/or to deselect policies. Policies are used to define how the device is supposed to act in specific scenarios. The policies cannot be created from within the ERP system, but are created directly on the RFID server.
- the final step of setting up the processes is to apply the process.
- the process is built by a dedicated Component Object Model (COM) object 240 (shown in FIG. 6 ) and the result is stored in the RFID server via one web service 230 (shown in FIG. 6 ) on the RFID server.
- Switchboard 605 is only used for collecting tag data, and not for set-up. FIG. 6 is described in greater detail below. If the process is already running on the RFID server, the process will be paused. The process is started again when the new settings are applied.
- COM Component Object Model
- Each RFID server 210 is configured to execute multiple RFID processes 220 and the set-up of the processes are accomplished as described above.
- the communication between ERP server 200 and RFID servers 210 is implemented using COM object 240 residing on server 200 (i.e., residing in the ERP system) and WEB service 230 on each of servers 210 .
- a second COM object residing in the ERP system is illustrated as switchboard 605 is used to collect RFID tag data.
- the COM objects residing on RFID servers 210 which along with COM object 605 are used to collect RFID tag data, are illustrated as DCOM Sink 610 , representing the function of sinking data from Sequential Query Language (SQL) databases 615 residing on the respective servers 210 , with databases on the ERP server.
- SQL Sequential Query Language
- COM objects are used for communication between the ERP system server 200 and RFID servers 210 .
- the use of COM objects for set-up and communication between an ERP system and an RFID middleware server introduces a standardized communication technique to an environment where hard coding or complicated software patches would otherwise typically be required. This is a significant advantage in the area of RFID server-ERP server integration, where the ERP system is typically programmed using a first (and frequently proprietary) programming language, and the RFID server is programmed using a second programming language.
- the encoded tag information is received by the RFID server 210 in accordance with the corresponding RFID process(es) 220 .
- the RFID server then stores the RFID tag information in the Sql Store or database 615 .
- the ERP When the ERP is ready for this data (and other data stored by the RFID servers), it calls each RFID server 210 that it has registered and asks for the data that is new since the last call. In the set-up processes previously completed, these data have already been associated with a process.
- the call from the ERP system to the RFID server, as well as the resulting transfer of the RFID tag information from database 615 to the ERP system, is accomplished through COM objects 605 and 610 .
- the communication by the ERP server 200 with an RFID server 210 is in three batch processes that are run from the ERP batch journal.
- the three processes are: Communication 705 , Validation 710 and Business process 715 .
- These three batch processes are illustrated diagrammatically in flow diagram 700 shown in FIG. 7 .
- the Communication process 705 takes care of the actual communication calling the RFID server and storing the data in the ERP system as raw data.
- the transactions are considered to be in “Draft” mode at this point, as it is possible that the data is erroneous (for example as a result of a pallet of items mistakenly delivered to the wrong purchaser).
- the Validation batch process 710 validates and enriches the data by splitting the tag information into separate fields and adds additional information from the ERP. If the validation is true, the transactions are set to “Released” status, and if the validation fails, the transactions are set to “Error” status.
- Business process 715 the validation records are prepared and the appropriate business processes 205 are started in the ERP. If a transaction is matched with a business process, the transaction is put into an “In progress” state. When the business process ends correctly, the transaction is set to “Archived” for storage. If the business process fails, the transaction can either remain as “In progress” or return to “Released”.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. In particular, the present invention relates to methods and systems for interfacing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) middleware servers with ERP system servers.
- Enterprise resource planning (or ERP) is a phrase used to describe a broad set of activities supported by multi-module application software that helps a manufacturer or other business manage the important parts of its business, including product planning, parts purchasing, maintaining inventories, order tracking, interacting with suppliers, providing customer service, finance, human resources, etc. Often, an ERP system uses or is integrated with a relational database system. An example of an ERP system is Microsoft® Business Solutions-Axapta®. Axapta provides functionality to support many needs of a business, for example including: manufacturing; distribution, supply chain management, project management, financial management, human resource management, business analysis, enterprise portal, commerce gateway, etc.
- There is an ongoing effort to introduce transmitters, such as RFID tags, into consumer goods. In particular, RFID tags are being used to identify products. An RFID tag is energized when it is placed in the proximity of an RFID tag reader. This causes circuitry within the RFID tag to transmit digital data which is received by the tag reader and stored in memory. The data can be used to identify the goods associated with the RFID tag. RFID tags can be placed on the individual goods themselves, and/or they can be placed on pallets or containers used to ship the goods. Ideally, RFID tags can be used to assist in automating the inventory and supply chain processes.
- With a wide range of capabilities, RFID tags are a growing area in tracking technology. Unlike barcodes, RFID tags can be read through thick packaging and are unaffected by moisture and heat making them highly effective in manufacturing and distribution environments. RFID tags enable automatic identification with no physical contact. Depending on the specific type of RFID tag employed, the read range extends from a few inches to hundreds of feet.
- In general terms, RFID is a means of identifying an object using a radio frequency transmission, typically 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz or 800-900 MHz. RFID has been extensively used in applications such as toll collection, access control, ticketing, and car immobilization devices (also called immobilizers). In recent years, the technology has received increased attention due to a confluence of actions including technology advancement, heightened security concerns, supply chain automation, and a continuing emphasis on cost control within industrial systems.
- The AIDC (Automatic Identification Data Capture) industry is moving rapidly towards the use of RFID in a number of high-value and high-volume market segments. The primary benefit of RFID tags over barcodes is their ease of use and reliability. RFID tags can be read or written at distances up to several feet, while in motion, in any orientation, regardless of dirt or smudges, and through intervening objects. Perhaps most significant is the fact that many RFID tags can be read at once automatically, while barcodes have to be scanned manually, one by one.
- An RFID tag will only communicate when it is in range of a read/write device (a transceiver, a transmitter/receiver, or a reader) and can be accessed at anytime. RFID tags are durable and have a long life span, no battery requirement with most tag types, and large data memory capacity. RFID tags are available in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
- In construction an RFID tag has a microchip attached to an antenna. RFID tags are developed using a frequency according to the needs of the system including read range and the environment in which the tag will be read. Tags are either active or passive. Active RFID tags are powered by an internal battery and are typically read/write devices. Active RFID tags are more expensive and larger than passive RFID tags. However, they are also more powerful and have a greater read range. Passive RFID tags are powered by the field generated by the reader. Passive tags are typically much lighter than active tags, less expensive, and offer a virtually unlimited operational lifetime. However they have shorter read ranges and require a higher-powered reader than active tags.
- An RFID reader, usually connected to a personal computer, serves the same purpose as a barcode scanner. It can also be battery-powered to allow mobile transactions with RFID tags. The RFID reader handles the communication between the information system and the RFID tag. An RFID antenna connected to the RFID reader, can be of various sizes and structures, depending on the communication distance required for a given system's performance. The antenna activates the RFID tag and transfers data by emitting wireless pulses.
- While RFID tags can be used to collect additional data related to a supply chain process, integrating RFID tag readers into existing ERP systems can be difficult. Using RFID tags to enhance the efficiency of business processes and integrate the information collected from the tags directly into the supply chain and inventory processes of business software requires a middleware process such as an RFID server to handle the collection and transmission of information to the business software. As RFID middleware servers are typically not setup to function with specific business processes of particular ERP systems, initialization and setup would be required. However, RFID middleware servers frequently do not have the user interfaces required to perform such setup. Further, since the middleware server and the ERP system software can be programmed using different programming languages, communication between the two can be problematic.
- Using RFID tags to enhance the efficiency of business processes and integrate the information collected from the tags directly into the supply chain and inventory processes of business software requires a middleware process such as an RFID server to handle the collection and transmission of information to the business software of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The middleware process and RFID server has to be initialized and set-up. The present invention facilitates this set-up from the business software of the ERP. The invention provides processes, forms, schemas, etc. to provide for the initialization and setup of the middleware process.
- A method of configuring a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) middleware server is provided. The method includes calling a server form, using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, from an ERP server. The method also includes identifying at least one RFID middleware server using the server form, and configuring one or more processes, using the server form, to run on the at least one identified RFID server. The one or more configured processes are transmitted from the ERP server to the RFID middleware server in order to configure the RFID middleware server.
- Other features and benefits that characterize embodiments of the present invention will be apparent upon reading the following detailed description and review of the associated drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one computing environment in which the present invention may be practiced. -
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an ERP system server and an RFID middleware server where the present invention can be implemented. -
FIGS. 3-1 and 3-2 are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a server form used to set-up an RFID server from an ERP server. -
FIGS. 4-1 through 4-3 are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a devices form used to set-up devices, coupled to the RFID server, from the ERP server. -
FIGS. 5-1 through 5-4 are screen shots illustrating an embodiment of a processes form used to set-up processes, on the RFID server, from the ERP server. -
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating COM object communication between the ERP system server and the RFID servers. -
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of three processes associated with retrieved data from an RFID tag. - Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology which can aid manufacturers and distributors to gain improved visibility into their supply chain, by increasing the number of data capture points in their supply chain. The aim is to put RFID tags on pallets, cases or items so they can be uniquely identified and tracked in the supply chain. The tracking can be done by collecting the data about when a unique pallet/case/item was registered at a specific location.
- Using RFID tags to enhance the efficiency of business processes and integrate the information collected from the tags directly into the supply chain and inventory processes of business software requires a middleware process such as on an RFID middleware server to handle the collection and transmission of information to the business software on an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system server, such as an Axapta® server. The middleware processes on the RFID middleware server would have to be initialized and setup from the business software of the ERP system. The invention provides processes, forms, schemas, etc. to provide for the initialization and setup of the middleware process on the RFID middleware server, as well as communication between the ERP server and the RFID middleware server.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitablecomputing system environment 100 on which the invention may be implemented. Thecomputing system environment 100 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should thecomputing environment 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in theexemplary operating environment 100. - The invention is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, telephony systems, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
- The invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The invention is designed to be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules are located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.
- With reference to
FIG. 1 , an exemplary system for implementing the invention includes a general-purpose computing device in the form of acomputer 110. Components ofcomputer 110 may include, but are not limited to, aprocessing unit 120, asystem memory 130, and asystem bus 121 that couples various system components including the system memory to theprocessing unit 120. Thesystem bus 121 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus. -
Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed bycomputer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed bycomputer 110. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. - The
system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 131 and random access memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133 (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements withincomputer 110, such as during start-up, is typically stored inROM 131.RAM 132 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processingunit 120. By way of example, and not limitation,FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134,application programs 135,other program modules 136, andprogram data 137. - The
computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 1 illustrates ahard disk drive 141 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, amagnetic disk drive 151 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatilemagnetic disk 152, and anoptical disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatileoptical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. Thehard disk drive 141 is typically connected to thesystem bus 121 through a non-removable memory interface such asinterface 140, andmagnetic disk drive 151 andoptical disk drive 155 are typically connected to thesystem bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 150. - The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in
FIG. 1 , provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 110. InFIG. 1 , for example,hard disk drive 141 is illustrated as storingoperating system 144,application programs 145,other program modules 146, andprogram data 147. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 134,application programs 135,other program modules 136, andprogram data 137.Operating system 144,application programs 145,other program modules 146, andprogram data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. - A user may enter commands and information into the
computer 110 through input devices such as akeyboard 162, amicrophone 163, and apointing device 161, such as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (not shown) may include a joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to theprocessing unit 120 through auser input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serial bus (USB). Amonitor 191 or other type of display device is also connected to thesystem bus 121 via an interface, such as avideo interface 190. In addition to the monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such asspeakers 197 andprinter 196, which may be connected through an outputperipheral interface 195. - The
computer 110 is operated in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as aremote computer 180. Theremote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a hand-held device, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to thecomputer 110. The logical connections depicted inFIG. 1 include a local area network (LAN) 171 and a wide area network (WAN) 173, but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. - When used in a LAN networking environment, the
computer 110 is connected to theLAN 171 through a network interface oradapter 170. When used in a WAN networking environment, thecomputer 110 typically includes amodem 172 or other means for establishing communications over theWAN 173, such as the Internet. Themodem 172, which may be internal or external, may be connected to thesystem bus 121 via theuser input interface 160, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to thecomputer 110, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation,FIG. 1 illustratesremote application programs 185 as residing onremote computer 180. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. - Referring now to
FIG. 2 , shown in block diagram is an environment in which the methods of the present invention can be implemented. InFIG. 2 ,ERP system server 200 represents one or more servers or computing systems on which ERP system modules (business processes) 205 are run to implement ERP functions for a company or user. An RFID middleware server 210 (hereafter RFID server 210) couplesERP system server 200 to one ormore RFID devices 215.RFID devices 215 can be, for example, RFID readers which read RFID tags and/or RFID writers which write RFID tags.RFID server 210 interfaces withRFID devices 215 to controlprocesses 220, such as read and write processes. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, methods of setting upRFID server 210,devices 215 andprocesses 220 are provided. - Set-up of
RFID server 210 andrelated devices 215 andprocesses 220 for use with a particular ERP system can present a number of difficulties. For instance, it would be common forRFID server 220 to not be programmed with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) configured for set-up of particular processes for the ERP system, rendering set-up more difficult. The present invention provides processes, forms, schemas, etc. to provide for the initialization and setup of the middleware process. These are illustrated generically inFIG. 2 at 225. A form in this context, is a window, a dialog, a page, or another UI element for viewing and/or entering data. In addition to a GUI, forms include form logic which maps, manipulates or otherwise acts upon or in response to data entered into the form. Further details of these processes, forms, etc. for set-up ofRFID server 210, RFID processes 220 and/ordevices 215 are provided in the following description. -
RFID server 210 is set-up within the ERP system (i.e., on ERP server 200) using a server form 350 (shown inFIGS. 3-1 and 3-2) which can be called by an administrator or other authorized user of the ERP system.FIGS. 3-1 and 3-2 respectively illustrate “Overview”tab 355 and “General”tab 360 ofserver form 350.Server form 350 allows the user to identify one or more servers (such as RFID server 210), giving it anID 365, aname 370, a host (machine) 375, and adomain name 380 indicative of where it is located.Server form 350 also includes “Devices” GUI control element orbutton 390 and “Process” GUI control element orbutton 395 which, when clicked upon by the user, call up device and process forms as described further below. - When the
server 210 is set-up, the devices already known (through auto recovery) to the server are shown in adevices form 400 shown inFIGS. 4-1 , 4-2 and 4-3. As noted previously, devices form 400 can be viewed fromserver form 350 usingdevices button 390. Devices form 400 allows viewing of “Overview”tab 405, “General”tab 410 and “Communication”tab 415. Devices not found through “Auto recovery” can be manually created, as new entries in thedevice form 400. The properties of the individual devices can then be set using “Properties”button 420 ondevices form 400. The properties can be copied from one device to another device using the “Copy properties”button 422 shown inFIG. 4-1 . The “Wizard”button 424 can be used to guide the user through the manual creation process, including a series of steps which, in a logical way, makes sure that the user enters all needed information for creating the device. In order to ensure chronological reads, it is possible to exclude the individual device or the whole server. - To set-up a
process 220 onRFID server 210, process form 500 (shown inFIGS. 5-1 through 5-4) can be called usingbutton 395 onserver form 350.FIGS. 5-1 through 5-4 shown “Overview”tab 505, “General”tab 510, “Devices”tab 515, and “Policies”tab 520, respectively. When the process form is opened, theRFID server 210 is queried by theERP server 200, then the RFID server will return the processes defined back toERP server 200. The returned data is stored in tables in the ERP system (for example, Axapta tables). The tables are deleted or erased again when theform 500 is closed. This is done to ensure no data conflicts with the RFID server arise. During the setup of theprocess 220, thedevices 215 are assigned to theprocess using tab 515 ofform 500. - There are two types of processes that are supported, arrival processes and shipment processes. In
FIG. 5-4 , the policies for the process are selected. On the left side the selectedpolicies 525 are shown. On the right side, allavailable policies 530 defined on the RFID server are displayed.GUI control buttons 535 are used to moveavailable policies 530 to selected policies 525 (i.e., to select policies), and/or to deselect policies. Policies are used to define how the device is supposed to act in specific scenarios. The policies cannot be created from within the ERP system, but are created directly on the RFID server. - The final step of setting up the processes is to apply the process. When the process is applied to the RFID server, the process is built by a dedicated Component Object Model (COM) object 240 (shown in
FIG. 6 ) and the result is stored in the RFID server via one web service 230 (shown inFIG. 6 ) on the RFID server.Switchboard 605 is only used for collecting tag data, and not for set-up.FIG. 6 is described in greater detail below. If the process is already running on the RFID server, the process will be paused. The process is started again when the new settings are applied. - Referring now to
FIG. 6 , shown in block diagram is theERP system server 200, two RFID servers 210-1 and 210-2, andmultiple RFID devices 215. EachRFID server 210 is configured to execute multiple RFID processes 220 and the set-up of the processes are accomplished as described above. As is illustrated inFIG. 6 , the communication betweenERP server 200 andRFID servers 210, for set-up of the processes, is implemented usingCOM object 240 residing on server 200 (i.e., residing in the ERP system) andWEB service 230 on each ofservers 210. A second COM object residing in the ERP system is illustrated asswitchboard 605 is used to collect RFID tag data. The COM objects residing onRFID servers 210, which along withCOM object 605 are used to collect RFID tag data, are illustrated asDCOM Sink 610, representing the function of sinking data from Sequential Query Language (SQL)databases 615 residing on therespective servers 210, with databases on the ERP server. - In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, COM objects are used for communication between the
ERP system server 200 andRFID servers 210. The use of COM objects for set-up and communication between an ERP system and an RFID middleware server introduces a standardized communication technique to an environment where hard coding or complicated software patches would otherwise typically be required. This is a significant advantage in the area of RFID server-ERP server integration, where the ERP system is typically programmed using a first (and frequently proprietary) programming language, and the RFID server is programmed using a second programming language. - In operation, when an RFID tag is scanned by an RFID reader (one of devices 215), the encoded tag information is received by the
RFID server 210 in accordance with the corresponding RFID process(es) 220. The RFID server then stores the RFID tag information in the Sql Store ordatabase 615. When the ERP is ready for this data (and other data stored by the RFID servers), it calls eachRFID server 210 that it has registered and asks for the data that is new since the last call. In the set-up processes previously completed, these data have already been associated with a process. The call from the ERP system to the RFID server, as well as the resulting transfer of the RFID tag information fromdatabase 615 to the ERP system, is accomplished through COM objects 605 and 610. With the data now residing within the ERP, it can start adedicated business process 205 associated with thisprocess 220 which has been deployed to the RFID server. A common class for generating and splitting EPC numbers (read from the RFID tags) into its components is used. This enables the ERP to both decrypt EPC numbers (i.e., in tag read processes), and generate EPC numbers (i.e., in tag write processes). - In an example embodiment, the communication by the
ERP server 200 with anRFID server 210 is in three batch processes that are run from the ERP batch journal. The three processes are:Communication 705,Validation 710 andBusiness process 715. These three batch processes are illustrated diagrammatically in flow diagram 700 shown inFIG. 7 . TheCommunication process 705 takes care of the actual communication calling the RFID server and storing the data in the ERP system as raw data. The transactions are considered to be in “Draft” mode at this point, as it is possible that the data is erroneous (for example as a result of a pallet of items mistakenly delivered to the wrong purchaser). TheValidation batch process 710 validates and enriches the data by splitting the tag information into separate fields and adds additional information from the ERP. If the validation is true, the transactions are set to “Released” status, and if the validation fails, the transactions are set to “Error” status. - In the third batch process,
Business process 715, the validation records are prepared and the appropriate business processes 205 are started in the ERP. If a transaction is matched with a business process, the transaction is put into an “In progress” state. When the business process ends correctly, the transaction is set to “Archived” for storage. If the business process fails, the transaction can either remain as “In progress” or return to “Released”. - Although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (18)
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WO2006110250A2 (en) | 2006-10-19 |
EP1866882A2 (en) | 2007-12-19 |
RU2412467C2 (en) | 2011-02-20 |
CN101438330A (en) | 2009-05-20 |
US7830256B2 (en) | 2010-11-09 |
CN101438330B (en) | 2010-11-24 |
RU2007137061A (en) | 2009-04-20 |
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